My son, the lovely Jack, is extremely close to turning 3. His birthday is just a couple of weeks away now. The last couple of months have seen a dramatic change in his behaviour and I’m just not sure how to cope anymore.
He used to be a very quiet, shy, studious kind of a lad. Would much rather sit and do a jigsaw puzzle than charge around the living room playing games involving my sofa cushions. I have bit of an issue with my cushions. Maybe verging on an OCD kind of problem. But more on that another time.
Butter wouldn't melt...
I’m not sure whether to blame the introduction of his baby sister 6 months ago, or whether I’m just clutching at straws? His behaviour just baffles me. He seems to find the naughtiest thing he can possibly think of and then triple it to go into realms beyond naughty.
He does all the general not listening, saying “NO” to everything you ask, hitting baby sister on regular intervals etc, etc…yawn, yawn, yawn.
Then he does the other things… the pure evil, a demon has taken over my child sort of naughty things. Colouring in my walls and carpets with crayons, regularly. Purposely spilling drinks on the TV unit so he can splash in them like muddy puddles (bloomin’ Peppa Pig).
The absolute worse one for me at the moment is, when we’re out he will run off ahead, miles ahead, so he is just a little blip somewhere in the distance, no matter how much you shout him or tell him to stop he will just keep running and running and running. It gets to the point where I have to sprint (pushchair and all) after him, shouting like a looney, with all these disapproving ‘control your child’ looks pounding me in the face. When I finally catch up with him, he shows no remorse for the fact he has just run half a mile away without looking back. It’s so dangerous and it scares me, I don’t like it.
I have tried everything, including telling him a story every night at bedtime. It’s about a little lion who runs too far away from Mummy and Daddy lion and they can’t find him, so he’s left all alone (scare tactics), but nothing works. He just carries on as if you don’t exist. Sometimes I wonder if I do? Or if I’m in one of those weird films where you’re talking but no one can hear you and you realise you’re a ghost! It’s a possibility. Can ghosts use the internet? Sorry, getting off topic…
He was an angel at 2 and here’s me thinking that I had breezed through the difficult stage, but no. It’s just complete and utter rubbish. My mother admitted to me the other day that she, “found ’3′ much harder than ’2′”. It seems this is a common occurrence amongst a lot of mothers. So I have concluded. It’s not the ‘Terrible two’s', it’s the ‘Horrific Three’s', and I’m not enjoying them. Not. At. All.
I have to say, my mother told me ‘at 3 you hate them!’ She said it was the worst age too. But you will get through it and be well prepared for Lili
I am taking great note as I am about 18months behind you… Oh F*CK! Thanks for sharing lovey xxx
Elliot was lovely at two, got worse through 3 and well 4… two months in and we too are trying everything we can think of to, erm, curb his brightness. Thankfully though running off is not one of them. But believe me you’re not alone there, my friends little boy just literally disappears, and its scary!
Dare I say though Orla at 2 is a nightmare, people told me girls are worse and I’m starting to believe them…..